Websites are often the gateway the brings customers to your brand, so in additional to featuring the best content and messaging you can, the site’s visual appeal also plays a key role in that engagement. About two-fifths of consumers (39 percent) are attracted to color schemes the most on business websites compared to other visual elements, according to a new report from Top Design Firms, a directory of digital and creative agencies.
Businesses can increase their sales online by strategically using colors in their website design. Miranda Yan, founder of VinPit, a VIN lookup company, notes that color is important to a business’s overall brand.
“Color is a vital aspect of a company’s brand as it reflects its first impression on customers,” Yan said, in a news release. “Color reflects the identity of a firm and resembles emotions, feelings, and experiences.”
Using colors that draw customer attention but don’t repel them is an important balance for businesses to strike. Companies also need to factor in the preferences of their target audience.
Color preferences vary across age and gender
Different audiences think differently about colors on a website:
- Nearly half of consumers (46 percent) prefer that businesses use blue on their websites.
- 26 percent of women believe companies should not use yellow on their websites.
- 23 percent of men think that companies should not use orange on their websites.
“Preferring blue & green tend to show a calm nature whereas yellow and orange are more geared towards aggression,” Yan said.
The color purple (43 percent) is the favorite among people ages 18-24, however, only 17 percent of people ages 44-54 prefer that businesses use it on their website.
Cody Miles, founder of Ashore, an online creative software, believes that color preferences are related to life experiences. “Purple is a rather melancholic color,” Miles said, in the release. “Younger generations are increasingly more in touch with their emotions, melancholy included.”
Businesses must factor in consumer preference for different colors when designing their websites.
Whitespace should be part of every website design
Whitespace is a crucial component of a successful website design. Despite only 8 percent of consumers noticing whitespace when they view a site for the first time, it is an element that helps engage users when they are on a site.
Whitespace creates a balance, giving users a quick break when browsing online. If a website is too cluttered or contains a lot of distracting colors, a potential customer may leave without a purchase.
“[Whitespace] helps to distinguish between themes of different pages by keeping it clean and simple,” Yan said. “Whereas if any other color were used in its place, then the page would become very messy.”
Businesses should strive to use colors on their websites that increase sales while keeping in mind their target audience and overall user experience.
Top Design Firms surveyed 500 consumers in April 2021 about their website design preferences.
